BC-AP Americas Digest

February 8, 2014

TOP STORIES:

NSA SURVEILLANCE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Security Agency collects less than 30 percent of calling data from Americans despite the agency’s massive daily efforts to sweep up the bulk of U.S. phone records, two U.S. newspapers report. By Stephen Braun.

VIOLIN THEFT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A one-time art thief charged with stealing a multimillion-dollar violin once told an acquaintance that type of robbery was his dream crime because of the instrument’s value and the ease of grabbing it from a musician walking down the street, according to court documents.

OBAMA-IMMIGRATION

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican leaders dampen expectations for overhauling U.S. immigration laws this year, the White House is hoping that the party’s resistance is temporary and tactical, and it’s resisting pressure from political allies for President Barack Obama to take matters into his own hands and ease his administration’s deportation record. By Jim Kuhnhenn and Donna Cassata. AP Photos.

HAGEL

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday he sees no simple answer to why the U.S. military is suffering so many ethical lapses, but he vowed to get to the bottom of a trend of embarrassing disclosures. By Robert Burns. AP Photos.

PUPPIES SAVED-ARSON CHARGES

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas pet shop owner from South Korea who prosecutors say was seen on security cameras torching her store with 27 puppies inside is handcuffed and taken to jail after a judge raises her bail by more than $250,000. By Ken Ritter. AP Photos.

SMARTPHONE KILL SWITCH-LEGISLATION

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Legislation being unveiled in the state of California would require smartphones and other mobile devices to have a “kill switch” to render them inoperable if lost or stolen — a move that could be the first of its kind in the country. By Terry Collins.

PUERTO RICO-CHURCH ABUSE

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Prosecutors in Puerto Rico are investigating six priests who face sex abuse allegations and have been expelled by church authorities from a diocese in one of the island’s north coastal towns. By Danica Coto.

LEAKS INVESTIGATION PLEA

WASHINGTON (AP) — A State Department expert on North Korea is pleading guilty to passing classified information to a journalist, the government says. By Pete Yost and Frederic J. Frommer.

SURINAME-HOMELESS KILLINGS

PARAMARIBO, Suriname — At least two of the men died by gunfire. One was beaten to death with a brick. Another was doused with gasoline and set alight. Four were decapitated, two of the bodies seemingly drained of blood. The unsolved murders of a dozen homeless people haunt the nighttime streets of Suriname’s capital, and baffle the nation’s police force. By Arney Belfor and David McFadden. AP photos.

UNITED STATES-JAPAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Japan assured the U.S. Friday that it will respond calmly to actions by China that have increased tensions between the two Asian powers. By Matthew Pennington. AP Photos.

NATO SUMMIT-TRIAL

CHICAGO (AP) — A jury acquits three NATO summit protesters of breaking Illinois’ rarely tested state terrorism law, but does convict them on lesser arson counts.

BUSINESS and FINANCE:

APPLE BUYBACK

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple has repurchased $14 billion of its stock in the two weeks after its first-quarter financial results and second-quarter revenue outlook disappointed investors. By Michelle Chapman. AP Photos.

CHEVROLET-OLYMPIC ADS

NEW YORK (AP) — Chevrolet is rolling out two ads that feature gay couples during the U.S. broadcast of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The ads are the first to feature gay couples during an Olympic broadcast, according to GLAAD, a U.S. advocacy group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. By Mae Anderson.

ECONOMY

WASHINGTON (AP) — A second straight month of weak job growth renewed concerns Friday that the vigor displayed by the American economy late last year may be gone, at least for the moment. By Christopher S. Rugaber and Paul Wiseman. AP Photos.

DEBT LIMIT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is getting a new borrowing cap, almost four months after Washington defused October’s government shutdown and debt crisis. By Andrew Taylor.

CONSUMER BORROWING

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers boost their borrowing in December by the largest amount in 10 months as demand for auto, student and credit card loans showed big gains. By Martin Crutsinger. AP Photos.

ENTERTAINMENT:

WOODY ALLEN

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Woody Allen is again denying he molested adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow and is calling ex-partner Mia Farrow vindictive, spiteful and malevolent in an open letter published online by The New York Times. By Derrik J. Lang. AP Photos.

HOFFMAN-FUNERAL

NEW YORK (AP) — Philip Seymour Hoffman’s private funeral draws stars Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ethan Hawke, Amy Adams and others paying their respects to an actor widely considered among the best of his generation. By Karen Matthews. AP Photos.

PEOPLE-HASTY PUDDING-HARRIS

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (AP) — Neil Patrick Harris is heading to Harvard University to accept the 2014 Man of the Year Award from America’s oldest undergraduate drama troupe, Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

SPORTS:

SPORTS DOPING-DRUGMAKERS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the world’s biggest drugmakers are playing a larger role in anti-doping efforts at this year’s Winter Olympics: They’re providing information on drugs that once would have been considered proprietary trade secrets. By Matthew Perrone.

WCUP-STADIUM ACCIDENT

SAO PAULO — A worker was killed in an accident outside the World Cup stadium in the jungle city of Manaus, local organizers say, in the latest incident tarnishing Brazil’s image as it tries to get ready for football’s showcase event in June. By Tales Azzoni. AP Photos.